B.A. Steinhagen
FAIR. Water stain; 85 degrees; 0.62 feet below pool. Water is being released into the lake from Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Mayflies are hatching, so expect some topwater bass action. Bass are fair on soft plastics in the cuts, or with frogs over grass. Crappie are fair with jigs in flooded timber. Catfish are fair on juglines.
Bob Sandlin
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.38 feet below pool. Channel catfish are fair in 25 feet of water on baited holes with stink bait. Crappie limits are possible in 25 feet of water on standing timber with black and green jigs. Channel catfish are fair in 25 feet of water on baited holes with stink bait. White bass are fair at night in the lights with a white spinnerbaits. Report by Joey Crews, Lake Bob Sandlin Chubby Chaser Guide Service. Black bass are feeding early on shad patterns around grass and retaining walls. Main lake points are good for bass using clouser type patterns. Bream are plentiful with wooly buggers and small worm patterns. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Morning bass bite has been best with soft jerkbaits, small profiled swim jigs, or bladed jigs in deeper water around docks that have healthy hydrilla. Midday has been okay with pitching jigs into and around hardcover. Bass are schooling on the surface late in the day, so keep a top water walking bait or 1/4 ounce rattletrap close since black bass, spotted bass, and white bass are chasing bait. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers.
Caddo
GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.12 feet below pool. Caddo is so beautiful this time of the year and these cooler temperatures have improved the bite. Throw a buzzbait, frog or pop R early at daylight for a chance with a big bite. A fluke, light Texas rig or spinnerbait will work well on schooling fish and on the grass lines around the river right now. A shaky head, drop shot or a spoon will work in the deeper spots on the river or bayou with the school fish around the cuts, humps and curves. Just a fun and beautiful time to be out here on Caddo enjoying this majestic lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
Conroe
GOOD. Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.46 feet below pool. Catfish are scattered, but there are plenty to be caught. With consistent high winds pretty much all fish are stacking up on wind blown banks and ledges. Bass have been up shallow early and on offshore structures and docks later in the day. Some can be found schooling on shad. Report by Brad Doyle with Bradley’s Guide Service. Hybrid stripers have been scattered as well with some nice schools in 16-24 feet of water. Fish can be caught trolling with a deep diver and a pet spoon trailer, or using slabs from Bradley Outdoors to jig for them. Crappie have been a hit-or-miss, finding in 13-21 feet of water. Minnows and hair jigs have been producing better than plastics. Smaller jig-head has been working best. The bite turns off just as quickly as you get a few. Always wear your life jacket & stay hydrated in this heat. Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy. Lake is nearing the end of turnover but this has not seemed to have had much effect as we are fishing shallow. Look for herons and white birds to lead the way to shallow bait activity. Largemouth bass can be caught in the grass. Cover water until you find where they are at. Throw swimbaits, flukes, and swim jigs then slow down with a senko. Report by Hugh Cosculluela, Hugh Fishing Guide.
Fork
GOOD. Water Stained; 81 degrees; 1.59 feet below pool. Cool mornings has helped the shallow bass bite in 2-4 feet of water with chatterbaits and frogs worked around the pond weeds. Carolina rigs and Texas rigs are good off shore in 12-17 feet on points and flats near creek channels. Flukes and big worms best. Crankbaits off shore have slowed down a bit but mid range bite picked up in 10-15 feet. XD 5 best chartreuse and blue. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Bass are feeding in 10-12 feet where the thermocline is not present. Look for schooling bass in the open water and creeks as shad hatch is in full swing. Also, check out the brush piles as big bass are using them to feed on crappie. Bream are excellent in the shallows, wooly buggers and small poppers should bring a strike. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. The Lake Fork crappie fishing continues to be hot even though the temperatures are dropping each week. The big white crappie have been showing out on timber in 18-28 feet. There has also been a great bite for white crappie on brush piles in 14-22 feet. We are still not seeing the black crappie stacking up as the water cools down, but it should not be long. Minnows are still the dominant bait by far on Lake Fork, but we are seeing the jig bite get better each week going into fall. Catfish are moving deeper and in huge numbers. Seeing tons of fish around timber along creek channels in 18-28 feet. They are following the shad as they migrate towards deeper water where they will spend the winter. You can just target them around timber with any catfish bait of choice or bait the area well with cattle cubes or sour grain to really tear them up. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.
Lake O’ the Pines
GOOD. Water stained; 90 degrees; 0.52 feet below pool. Bass are on isolated hardcover in relatively deeper water near creek channels. Throwing a green pumpkin jig with chartreuse has been producing, as well as 1/4 ounce rattle traps on grass edges that have signs of bait activity. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers.
Livingston
GOOD. slightly stained; 89 degrees; 0.34 feet below pool. Water is down to 82 degrees. Catching a lot of fish shallow 2-6ft. Later in the mornings fish are liking to hang off of wind blown points. Ducktracker slabs white and chartreuse has been the go to. Report by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.
Martin Creek
GOOD. Water normal stain; 90 degrees; 1.16 feet below pool. Bass are good with frequent schools coming up catching them on chrome blue back rattletrap. Fishing along the hydrilla with weightless senkos and Texas rigged redbug worms. Larger bass can be caught with 8XD and 10XD crankbaits in standing timber in 20-25 feet. Crappie remain good to excellent with schools found in standing timber and brush piles in 25-30 feet of water with minnows and pintail jigs. Catfish are good over baited holes using cattle cubes in 15-20 feet. Reports given by Hambone guide service Report given by Hambone guide service.
Nacogdoches
GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 1.04 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are fair on swimbaits, dropshots and Carolina rigs around grass lines. Crappie are excellent on brush piles and standing timber in 12 feet of water. Catfish are fair on cut bait or live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Pinkston
GOOD. slightly stained; 88 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair with bigger fish shallow, and smaller fish schooling. Work a dropshot or Carolina rigs along the grass lines. Crappie are fair on any colored crappie jig with a light weight. Catfish are poor with cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
Sam Rayburn
FAIR. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.25 feet below pool. Water continues to be off-colored but should clear by next week. Bass are fair in shallow water over grass with topwaters, or on secondary points Carolina rigs and dropshots. Crappie are fair on brush piles with the best bite on minnows over jigs. Blue and channel catfish are fair in 15-25 feet of water on cut bait and minnows. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
Toledo Bend
FAIR. Water normal stain; 83 degrees; 3.90 feet below pool. Fishing has picked up some, but we received heavy rain from Hurricane Francine. Weather forecast should clear by the weekend. That is the best news we have had in a while, and should bring the shallower fish. Casting chatterbaits, buzz baits and top water will be key baits with the new flooded grass. Some of the creeks are going to be muddy to stain, but will clear up in a couple of days, once the water clears the back of creeks should be good for next weeks, shad will start moving in and spinnerbaits and small crankbaits in 4-6 feet will be good! The deep bite will slow back down with the rising water, this should only last a few days, and get back going. Texas and Carolina rigs with 7 and 9 inch worms being best bait. This is really going to hurt the crappie fishing for a week, or so until conditions calm back down. It is always slow this time of year, but with the cooler temperatures, we should start to see them pick back up. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
Tyler
SLOW. Water normal stain; 88 degrees; 0.72 feet below pool. Fishing has been up and down like a roller coaster and the weather. Night fishing is best for catfish and crappie in the lights. Crappie are slow using minnows on brush in 16-25 feet of water, and off the barge. Catfish are slow in 16 feet of water stink bait. Bream are slow on red worms off the barge and throughout the lake. Bass are slow in 10-12 feet of water crankbaits. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler.
